


Comfortably Numb

by orphan_account



Category: Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alternate Universe - Music Store, F/M, Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, Minor Ryan Ross/Brendon Urie, also brendon calls him ryro, but brendon gets some uwus bc of ry, channeling rivers cuomo energy, i reference music too many times, ryan hates brendon, so much weezer, that's pretty gay, ur ryans sister
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-11 15:38:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15318675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: [Discontinued.] You develop a crush on your brother's coworker and he gets Protective. I'm bad at summaries.





	1. Introducing: Brendon Urie

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably the most cliche and unoriginal thing ever but I've had this idea on my mind for a while now and I wanted to write it. It was going to be an actual, original story, but I wanted to see how it applied to Panic, so I'm doing this. Anyway. Please take this hot garbage because it's all I can think about.

"Ryan!" you yelled out. "You guys don't have Pinkerton? What the fuck?"

If anyone else had been in the store, you wouldn't have yelled, but it was a slow day and it was just Ryan at the counter.

"Are you looking in P or W?" he asked.

"P. For Pinkerton."

He rolled his eyes and sighed, then smiled to himself. "W. For Weezer. We sort by artist, not album name."

"Who does that anymore?" you chuckled, moving to find the W section.

"Everyone," Ryan replied, continuing to scroll mindlessly through his phone.

Eventually you found the album you wanted, and pulled it out of the bin to pay for it. You walked up to the counter and leaned across it, crossing your arms and resting your head on them. "I don't get how you don't get tired of Weezer," he said. "I mean, I like them, but I can't listen to them all day on repeat like you can."

"You're saying those half-Japanese girls don't do it to you every time?" you joked.

There was a masculine, pronounced voice behind you that sang out, "The redhead said you shred the cello, but I'm jello, baby!"

You turned around and saw a young man, maybe only a little younger than ryan, with pretty brown eyes and remarkably plump lips that were maybe a little too big for his face, but he would look weird if he didn't have them that size. He was cute. And was wearing a name tag for the store: "Brendon." He was an employee, but you had never seen him before. Ryan had a somewhat uncomfortable look on his face. "What's up, Ry-Ro?"

"Please don't call me that."

"Store been empty all day?" he asked, then looked at you. "Except her?"

"Yeah, it's been pretty slow all day," Ryan sighed, finishing up your transaction. He payed for it himself--because he got an employee discount--and pocketed the cash you gave him. You held up the album and grinned to yourself. "Don't you have a test you should be studying for tomorrow, (Y/N)?"

"It's only 5," you said. "I wasn't gonna start studying until, like, after dinner. Plus, I don't really want to go home, I'll just be bored."

"There's nothing to do here, either," he said.

"I get to annoy you."

"Annoying Ryan is fun," Brendon smirked, all of his weight on his arm, which was out-stretched on the counter next to you. "I do it all the time."

"Yeah, you really do," Ryan said through his teeth.

You found it a bit difficult to keep your eyes off of Brendon. He was just so handsome, his smile so warm and welcoming, his eyes staring right at yours. Why did you want to kiss him so badly? Your throat seemed to close up, filling with bubbles of air, restricting how much you could breathe. He looked to Ryan, then back at you. "You two look so similar," he nearly whispered. "You never told me you had a sister, Ry-Ro."

"Because I thought you'd probably try to hit on her."

He chuckled. "On a completely unrelated note, (Y/N), you got a boyfriend?"

"N-No," you said, literally nearly choking. The bubbles of air in your throat popped. "No, I don't."

"Hey, Brendon," Ryan said sternly, "maybe you should go to the back and see if we have anymore records of Pinkerton. By Weezer. She got the last one."

Brendon's eyes narrowed, but he smiled, and he went to the back room. You raised an eyebrow at your brother. "What the hell was that about?"

"Listen, (Y/N)," Ryan whispered, leaning closer. "I really don't want you to get involved with Brendon."

"Why?"

"You're my little sister. I don't know what his intentions would be with you." He pressed his lips together. "He seems like the kind of guy that's only wanting to take your virginity. Then after he gets what he wants, he'll move on. I don't want you to go through that."

You looked down at the album in your hands. Ryan's disapproval just made you want to talk to Brendon even more. Who was he to control you?

"You should probably go home."

"Fine," you said, taking your bag and walking out of the store.


	2. The Wonderful Ways Of Hayao Miyazaki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's midnight and I am living for soft, brotherly Ryan. We stan Mr. Ross in this house.

You probably should have studied when you got home, but when you tried, your thoughts were flooded. You couldn't focus. So you gave up and just listened to your newest record for the rest of the night. You talked to Brendon once. Once. And now he's all you think about. What was it about him that interested you so much? Maybe how confident he was, how nice he seemed, how he was inhumanly attractive. His singing voice, from what you had heard, was good too. You would love to hear him sing the rest of El Scorcho.

You could hear the front door open and close. Ryan was home. He walked down the hallway and stopped by your door, which was already opened, a bag from McDonald's and a smaller bag from the store in hand. "You liking the album?"

"Yeah, I am," you replied, not moving from your position.

He frowned. "I'm off work tomorrow. I got you something."

You sat up and he sat across from you on your bed, pulling a movie case from the bag. It was Spirited Away--you had seen it with a friend but never had your own copy. It was probably your all-time favorite movie. You liked it even more than you liked Heathers, and everyone who has ever talked to you knows how much you love Heathers. You pulled it from his hands and looked at the cover intently, running your fingertips across it.

"Its yours, but I thought we could watch that together," he said. "I know how much you love it. And I've never seen it. So now I'll know the ways of Hayao Miyazaki."

"Thank you, Ryan," you said, smiling so wide you thought the corners of your mouth would bleed. "Really. Thanks."

He smiled in a way that indicated that he was glad you liked it. "I'm across the hall if you need me." He stood up and left your room, closing the door behind him.

He probably shouldn't have told you he was off work tomorrow. That must mean someone else would be working, and there's a chance that someone else would be Brendon. This is your chance to talk to him by yourself. You felt a little bad for planning that, as he made it clear he didn't trust Brendon (and most of the time he really does know what's best for you). But didn't it make sense to want to figure out what you thought of him by yourself?

It was already pretty late, so you thought you should be getting to sleep. You rolled over in bed, throwing your comforter over yourself, and closed your eyes.

***

"I'm off to school," you stated, flipping your car keys from the kitchen counter to your palm. "I'll be back a little later than usual."

Ryan was sitting at the dining table with a bowl of cereal. "Why's that?" he asked, shoveling a spoonful into his mouth.

"I'm gonna be helping one of my friends study," you said. You know, like a liar.

"Ah, okay, be safe."

You left the house and got into your car. You hooked your phone into the aux cord and hit shuffle--surprisingly, it played Karma Police by Radiohead. You hadn't listened to this song in so long. You liked it so much you tried learning to play it on guitar (it didn't work out. Go you.)

This next sentence may shock you: school was fucking ass. Absolute fucking ass. As per usual. You completely forgot about the test you were supposed to be studying for last night. But you think you might've done okay. You were just glad when it was over and you could leave. The whole drive to the store made you a little bit anxious. There could be someone else there. It might not be Brendon. You didn't know if he would want to talk to you. You didn't know what you should talk about with him.

You parked in the front and looked through the glass at the front of the store. You had never been more relieved to see something as much as you were when you saw Brendon at the register, resting his weight on his left arm, the sleeves of his black button-up shirt rolled up to his elbows. You hesitated to even leave the car. But you worked up the courage to open the door and step out, cautiously walking to the door, focusing on not falling.

The bell rang as you opened the door and his attention was on you. You thought your knees were going to give out at that moment and you would crash into the display of Metallica albums that appeared to be on sale.

He raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side. "(Y/N). That was your name, wasn't it?"

"Y-Yeah, that's me," you said, giving him the most awkward finger guns you'd ever given someone in your entire life. You stepped to the counter and could barely look him in the eyes. "Sorry about my brother. He's a little... um... protective, I guess."

"Oh, wee little RyRo... needs to learn to lighten up a little, right?" he responded. His smile was genuine.

"Exactly."

"Can I help you find anything, darling?"

Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. Darling. You thought you were going to pass out. "Actually, I wanted to... like... talk to you. I don't know."

"That's great, because, honestly, I'd like to talk to you too," he said. "Been meaning to ask, what's your favorite band?"

You thought about it for a minute. "Maybe Pink Floyd."

"I expected you to say Weezer," Brendon said. "I think mine might be Radiohead."

"No way. I was listening to them on the way here."

He dramatically gasped and did jazz hands. "Oh my God! It was fate!"

As the conversation went on, you felt like it became so much easier to talk to him. You were usually very introverted and awkward when talking to people you hadn't before, but it was so much more different this time. You both played Magic: The Gathering (he even had his cards with him, so he showed them off to you) and liked 80's movies. Eventually it came up that he had never seen Spirited Away, or any films by the people who made it, Studio Ghibli.

"Are you serious?" you said. "Those are, like, classic films! You need to see them."

"I know, everyone says they're so good, I just never got around to it."

This was your chance. The golden opportunity. You reached out and grabbed it. "Maybe we should watch it together sometime."

An even bigger and more genuine smile creeped onto his lips. "I see. You asking me on a date?"

"Yeah. I guess I am."

He seemed to be joking on his statement, but I wasn't. He looked away for a few seconds and you swore he was blushing. Maybe even starting to get as nervous as you were. "You know what, (Y/N)? Let's go on a date. It'll be fun. I can already see we have quite a bit in common."

"Oh, fuck, really?" you said accidentally. "I didn't think you'd want to."

"Aw, what makes you say that?" His eyes were glistening. You couldn't look away. "I think you're a total cutie. And really cool."

You looked down at your feet and laughed to yourself. "Thanks, Brendon."

"I like how my name sounds coming from you," he whispered. He seemed to immediately regret saying that.

"That's kinky."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"That's even kinkier."

You both laughed and you checked the time on your phone. It was already 4. You'd been talking for twenty minutes. "I should probably get going," you said. "I think I'm gonna watch a movie with Ry."

"Tell him I said hi," he joked.

"He doesn't even know I'm here right now, between you and me," you whispered, even though the store was, yet again, empty. People usually started to come in after five, from what you've gathered. "He's playing the role of protective big brother very well."

"Hey, you want my number?" he said, already reaching for the phone in his back pocket. "We shall further discuss our 'date'."

"Oh, sure," you responded, getting your phone out and handing it to him. He put his number in your phone and you put yours in his, setting the contact name to your name. You traded devices again. "I guess I'll text you later."

"See you around, (Y/N)," Brendon said.

You waved as you were walking out. Once you were safely in your car, you put your face in your hands and felt your heart explode. When you looked up through the glass again, he was smiling cutely and biting his bottom lip. It seemed he might've been as excited as you. You went to look at the contact, but was surprised when you saw the name he put in your phone.

B♥.


	3. You Nearly Choke On Popcorn Because Your Phone Dings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm loving these chapter titles. This is mainly text message convos I guess. I'm Trying My Best. I also love this chapter because I get to nerd out about how much I adore Studio Ghibli.

You got back home at 4:15. You heard the faint sounds of an acoustic guitar coming from upstairs, and as you walked up the steps you could hear Ryan faintly singing. He honestly had a good singing voice, but he was reluctant to ever use it. He's said many times that he prefers to play guitar while someone else sings instead of him.

You could almost understand what he was singing. You didn't recognize it. Something about the moon falling in love with the sun. Whatever that meant.

You put your bag in your room and stared at the copy of the movie that was on your bed, then scooped it up, and waited outside of Ryan's door. He noticed you were there and set the guitar down. "Nice singing, nerd. What song was that?"

"You don't tell anyone what you heard. I wrote it."

"Oh, whoops, I already sent the video to everyone in my contacts," you said, rolling your eyes. He raised his eyebrows.

"Wait, were you actually recording me?"

"No, relax." You held the movie out in front of you. "C'mon."

Ryan stood up and moved past you down the hallway. "Ya want popcorn?"

"Hell yeah I want popcorn."

You put the movie into the player as Ryan came from the kitchen and handed you your bowl. He sat on a chair while you were laying on the couch. You hit play and sat back.

You got halfway through the movie and your phone got a notification. Throwing a kernel of popcorn in your mouth, you reached over to look at it--shit. It was from Brendon. Your breathe hitched and you made a medium-volume choking noise. Ryan looked over. "The fuck?"

"I'm good. Don't worry about it."

"Alright then."

B♥: Hey, what's up?

you: Hi! Watching a movie with Ryan.

B♥: Oh really? What movie?

you: Spirited Away, lol

B♥: Cool! But you've already seen it soo talk to me!!

you: Fiiiineeee. What day are we having our "date"?

B♥: I'm working Saturday morning-afternoon and RyRo is taking over for me. So we should hang out then!

you: Sounds like a plan. Do you think it would be better to see a movie that's playing in theaters? I mean, I don't know how comfortable it is to go to someone's house for a date.

B♥: That sounds like fun. What's playin'?

you: Do you like Marvel movies?

B♥: Of course.

you: Ant-Man and the Wasp?

B♥: Hell yeah! I haven't seen it yet. Have you?

you: Nope! But I loved the first Ant-Man.

B♥: Same! I'm excited to watch it with you.

you: Me too. 

you: Hey, I have a question.

B♥: Yes?

you: Why did you set your contact in my phone as...

you: You know. That.

B♥: 'Cause! Ain't it cute?

B♥: You, however, are so unoriginal! I thought just (Y/N) in my phone wasn't cute enough so i changed it to Darling. :)

you: Oh my God.

you: I kinda like when you call me th

Backspace backspace backspace backspace backspace.

you: You're so weird.

B♥: So I'll see ya Saturday?

you: Yup!

B♥: Sounds fun, darling.

B♥: Enjoy the rest of the movie!

you: Thanks :)

The movie was nearing the end. You looked to Ryan--he was in tears, a blanket pressed against his mouth. You had barely ever seen him cry during movies. It was understandable, though, because this movie is really fucking sad, and almost every time you had shed at least one tear. This must've been an exception, considering you weren't paying attention.

"Holy fucking shit," Ryan muttered as the credits rolled on the screen. "What the fuck, man. What the fuck."

"You okay?"

"How are you not crying right now?"

"I've only seen you cry during, like, one other movie. The Force Awakens."

"It's sad, dude! Goddamn. This movie is so fucking... beautiful. Oh my God."

You got up to grab a box of tissues and threw it at him. He caught it and wiped his eyes. You took your empty popcorn bowls and set them in the kitchen, and sat back down on the couch. Ryan had calmed down a little bit. "I guess you liked it?" you joked, clicking on your phone screen again and making sure you didn't miss any more messages. It was 11:30.

"Yeah, fuck," Ryan said, his hands covering his face. "How many other Ghibli movies are there?"

"There's My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle..." You continued to list some of the movies.

"You know what that means?"

"What?"

"We have to watch all of them." It looked like he had stopped crying now. "If all of them are that good, we have to watch them."

He seemed to be hooked. "Yeah, we should," you agreed. "It's pretty late, I should probably get to sleep."

"Wimp," Ryan muttered.

"Hey, I'm still in school, unlike you."

"Whatever." He jokingly dismissed you with a wave of his hand. "Night."

You treaded upstairs and fell onto your bed, eyes focusing on the Pinkerton record sitting on your desk. You started to get what Ryan said. You were a little tired of listening to Weezer on repeat. Maybe it was time to listen to another artist. The Wall by Pink Floyd was sitting in a crate separated from the shelf you had, the very first one visible.

You slid the record from its sleeve, placing it on the table, and searched for a song in particular. Comfortably Numb.

Ding.

Oh fuck.

You set the needle down and let it play, then nearly lunged into the wall to grab your phone. 2 new messages from B♥.

It was a picture message--it was him holding a CD of The Wall.

B♥: Look what came in the mail!

you: Funny! I'm listening to that right now.

B♥: Not surprised :)

you: Shouldn't you be asleep right now?

B♥: Shouldn't you?

you: Touché.

B♥: Mhm. I might just fall asleep listening to this album.

you: Me too. Goodnight Brendon!

B♥: Goodnight (Y/N) :)


	4. Ant-Man And The Wasp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I loved writing Brotherly Ryan™, it's time to get down to business.

As you waited in your car at the theater, you were trying to recall the last time you'd been here. Probably when you went to see Infinity War for the seven-millionth time a few weeks ago. The windows were rolled down. The ambience of the city at night, with the warm summer air, sounds of cars passing by, the faintest sounds of crickets chirping, was so relaxing. You were so incredibly nervous about tonight, but that didn't seem to matter in that moment.

There was a car that pulled up to the parking lot, a few spaces away from where you were. You just assumed it was Brendon. Who else was going to see Ant-Man And The Wasp at 9 PM at night? You opened the door and leaned against your car.

Brendon: You here?

You: Yeah. I'm standing next to my car.

Brendon: Oh!

You felt a little too embarrassed to have a heart in a contact name, so you changed it to just his first name. He showed up on the opposite side of your car, crossing his arms on the roof of it and resting his head on them. "Hey, cutie."

"Hey, you."

Brendon was wearing his glasses and instead of a black button-up shirt, he was wearing a t-shirt with "RADIOHEAD" printed on it. Once he moved from the side of the car you were at, you saw he was wearing dark skinny jeans and Vans. You honestly thought you would fall over and die, right there on the spot. "How've you been?"

"I saw Ryan cry."

"What?"

"The other day. He cried during the movie because it was too beautiful for him to handle," you explained. "I've never seen a bigger mood in my entire life."

He suppressed a giggle. "Oh, what a nerd. Come on, I don't wanna miss the trailers!"

He didn't seem to think anything of it when he took your hand in his, speed-walking across the parking lot towards the building. Maybe it was instinctual, or something he did with everybody he spent time with. He must've realized what he was doing and let go once at the door and nervously scratched his nose. The guy who was running the admission counter looked surprised when he saw who walked through the door. "Hey, Brendon!"

"What's up, Spencer?" Brendon said, giving a mutual bro handshake to him. He held up a few bills. "Two tickets for Ant-Man."

"Got it," Spencer said, taking it and tapping away at a little touch-screen on the counter. "Who's this?" he asked, looking over to you.

"This is (Y/N)."

"Didn't know you had a girlfriend now."

"Well, I don't... like... we..." Brendon struggled to find the words.

"We're something," you intervened. Spencer nodded.

"Alright, sure," Spencer said quietly. "You'll be in theater one. Enjoy the show. And use protection."

"What the fuck?" Brendon laughed. "It's not like that."

"That's what they all say. Next thing you know you're naked, covered in peanut butter, and having a fifteen hooker gangbang." Spencer closed his eyes for a second. "I know from personal experience."

"You what?" You didn't really want to imagine Spencer, a guy who has a beard, looks like he's barely out of high school, and like he just smoked a whole joint in the bathroom five minutes before you showed up, naked and covered in peanut butter whilst having a mega orgy. Fifteen hookers? Must be into femdom.

"Never mind. Hey, Bren," he turned to him, "want something to drink? It's on me. I can get something for (Y/N), too."

"I have to drive."

"I mean a soda."

"Oh, sure. What would you like?" Brendon's deep brown eyes met yours. You never thought you would think such dark eyes would be so beautiful, but here you are.

"Pepsi," you responded. He repeated it to Spencer and got himself a Sprite. 

"Thanks, Spence," Brendon said, and Spencer shrugged, as if signaling that it was no problem. Theater five was empty, as expected. It'd been a few weeks since the movie came out and it was nine at night. You sat to the left of Brendon, thinking about what Ryan has said about him, and that if he were the type of person to do that, this would be the best place to do it. Most likely, he would've made a move by now.

"Still got a few minutes til the movie starts," Brendon commented. "What trailers do you think they'll play?"

"Venom, probably," you said, "and maybe that one movie Dwayne Johnson is in."

"Rampage?"

"No, it was something else."

"Oh, Skyscraper!"

"Yeah, that's it," you said. At this point he had basically rolled over to lay on his side. "I don't think it's going to be very good."

"I bet the action will be. Who goes to see action movies for the plot?"

He had a point. You talked for a little longer, just small talk--he talked about his family, how he used to be Mormon, and you both exchanged some awkward stories from middle school. He made it a priority to listen, and let you know he was actually listening. He played the piano and the drums. You thought it would be nice to learn to play piano, and he suggested different digital brands, ways to get started, et cetera. The whole time you were wondering why you would ever listen to Ryan. How could he not like this guy?

Soon enough, the movie started. The silence wasn't awkward, surprisingly. Any time it was broken, it returned to being comfortable immediately. It was only a matter of time until the end credits started, and you were very pleased to see he didn't get up to leave until the extra scene ended.

And the extra scene was crazy. Brendon whipped his head to face you and looked just as surprised as you were.

"Shit!" he grinned.

"Shit's right!" you said, standing up from your seat. He followed.

You walked out of the building. Brendon seemed like he wanted to talk to Spencer again, but he was talking to a shady looking guy in a beanie and a scraggly stubble. It was probably impolite to assume that was his drug dealer.

"Give me your totally honest opinion," Brendon said, giving an expectant look.

"First one was better."

"Glad you agree." He pushed his glasses up and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. His lips parted. He was trying to find something to say, and the correct way to say it. "Uh, so, do you maybe want to hang out again? We can just go and get some pizza sometime. Or whatever."

You were glad it was dark out, because otherwise Brendon would have seen your embarrassingly red face. You couldn't suppress your smile. "Yeah. Keep in touch?"

He nodded and reached for his car keys. "This was fun, (Y/N). I'll see you around." You waved two fingers in the air to say goodbye and watched him walk to his car.

You sat in the drivers seat for a few minutes before actually starting to drive home. Dammit. How the fuck is he so adorable without even trying?


	5. Cool Dudes Club

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry about not updating. I've just been a bit unhappy with this story and running low on ideas on how to continue it. I'll try and update as much as I can. This was going to be longer, but I really needed to get something out since it's nearly been two months (yikes), so here's this. If it's bad or feels rushed, it's because it is.

"(Y/N)!"

You whipped your head around and saw your classmate, Dallon Weekes, waving at you from across the hallway. What could he possibly want? You two only had one class together, and sat on opposite sides of the room. He had only talked to you briefly a few times. All you knew about Dallon was that he was the tallest kid in the entire school and he always hung out with Tyler Joseph and Joshua Dun--who were also at his side, along with Patrick Stump, which was strange as Patrick didn't seem like the kind of guy to run with them. You walked towards them, avoiding bumping into anyone else along the way.

Dallon was holding a piece of paper. He outstretched his arm for you to take it. It was an 80's-style flyer for what appeared to be a concert, at a small venue in town that you'd been to before. It said 'Cool Dudes Club: Live In Concert' on it. "Can you give this to Ryan?" he asked. "We thought he might want to come. And you should, too. It'll be fun."

"You guys are a band now?" you asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Dallon replied. "Cool Dudes Club."

"Cool Dudes Club," the other three replied in complete unison. It nearly scared you.

"You could work on the name."

"We invite you to our concert, which is free, by the way, and you criticize us--" Tyler began, before Josh stopped him from continuing. The smile forming on his face implied he was joking. Probably. You never knew with him.

"Are you coming or not?" Patrick asked.

You took the flyer from Dallon and folded it into your pocket. "Ryan might be working that day, I don't know. But I'll consider it."

Josh perked up. "What if Brendon was coming? Then would you, like, definitely go?"

You parted your lips to say something, but you didn't know what to say. Dallon had never looked more confused. How does Josh know Brendon? More importantly, how does Josh know that you know Brendon? All you could think to say was "Who's Brendon?"

"Yeah, actually, who is Brendon?" Patrick repeated.

"Urie?" Dallon asked.

"Yeah, Urie," Josh replied. 

"How does (Y/N) know Urie?"

"Yeah, actually, how do I know Urie?" you asked, mimicking Patrick, and feeling weird referring to him only by his last name.

"Maybe you should tell me," Josh teased. "He's told me a lot about you. He acts like a fucking fangirl on crack, like, he's just so jittery. It's crazy."

You felt every ounce of blood in your body immediately rush up to your cheeks. If Josh wasn't lying, that's probably one of the cutest things you've ever heard in your entire life. You might just die from how adorable that sounds. Josh seemed to notice that you were low-key freaking out and gripped your shoulder. "See! Like how you're acting right now!" He pinched your cheeks. "If you guys aren't, like, official yet, then get on it, cause that's a ship I can get behind."

"And you call Brendon a fangirl?" Tyler jokes. You decide you can't take the embarassment anymore and run the absolute fuck away.

***

You: You know Dallon Weekes?

You hit send and, after a few minutes, a bubble that indicated he was typing appeared.

Brendon: Yeah, he comes in the store a lot, do you?

You: One of his friends mentioned you were going to their concert thing. Are you?

Brendon: Mhm.

You: Take me with you. I'd like to see you again.

Brendon: Aww, cute.

You: Hhh. Shut up.

Brendon: So you like me enough to want to go on a second date?

You: I can tell this is fueling your ego and I'm not sure if that is a bad thing or not.

Brendon: It's a good thing! I want to keep hanging out with you.

Brendon: And, yknow, I'm glad I didn't mess anything up. I didn't want to weird you out.

Brendon: Anyway. Want me to pick you up? Or we can meet somewhere. Or meet there. It's up to you, darling.

You: Just meet me there.

You unfolded the paper from your pocket, looked it over again, and dropped it in the trash can in the kitchen. Ryan probably wouldn't have wanted to go in the first place. As far as you knew, he didn't even talk to those guys anymore. He hadn't mentioned them in a good while. And if you were going to go with Brendon, you didn't want Ryan to see you hanging out, or he would probably flip his shit.

Once you walked upstairs and fell on your bed, your back muscles began to release tension that was built up. The evening was spent mindlessly scrolling through social media and listening to whatever Spotify was recommending to you. You stopped on an Instagram post from Brendon--you forgot you followed him. He posted the same picture of Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' that he sent to you, just with some filter on it.

@brendonurie: Play this at my funeral.

@(username): Big mood.

You had typed your comment with ease--actually sending it was the most nerve wracking part. Eventually, you hit send, and quickly scrolling away, like you were trying to pretend you didn't even see it.

But...

There's no harm in just taking a quick look through his account, right?

You scrolled back up and tapped his username. His page was pretty basic. Just "Brendon Urie" as his name, his bio being "65% water, 35% movie references". The picture he posted before the Pink Floyd one was a picture of him holding a coffee mug that just said "daddy" on it.

Nice.

You scrolled to the very bottom--it didn't take you long, he had about 60 posts--and it was an old picture of him and Ryan from two years ago. That's weird. You didn't think they had ever been friends, especially with Ryan's obvious annoyance and fairly negative opinion of Brendon. You wondered if you should bring it up to either of them--but Brendon would wonder why you looked at his first Instagram picture and Ryan would wonder why you were even on his page in the first place. So that was a no go.

Maybe you could casually sneak it into conversation tomorrow and see what happened. You dropped your phone down on your chest and rolled your head over on your pillow, closing your eyes, and drifting off to sleep.


End file.
